Winter Haven, FL Noise Ordinances: Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound (2026)

Sec. 12-35 of the Winter Haven Code recognizes that some sounds are not accurately measurable with a sound-level meter or may stay under the numeric limits of Table I or Table II in Sec. 12-31, yet still count as excessive, unnatural, and disturbing noise. Subsection (a)(2) specifically prohibits using, operating, or permitting to be played any radio, television, tape or record player, amplifier, musical instrument, or other sound-producing device, along with prolonged sounds made by people or the keeping of any animal or bird, in a manner that disturbs the public peace, quiet, and comfort of neighboring inhabitants, or at any volume louder than necessary for convenient hearing by the willing listeners actually present in the room, vehicle, or chamber where the device is operated.

The section states that quieter standards are expected during nighttime hours. This prohibition applies even to devices or activities that are otherwise exempt from Table II under Sec. 12-33, because Sec. 12-35 is written as an independent, non-exclusive list of prohibited acts rather than a numeric threshold. Complaints under this section carry a procedural safeguard: subsection (b) requires the complaining party to sign a sworn complaint either before or immediately after an arrest is made, or the complaint will not be honored, which limits enforcement to cases where a named complainant is willing to formally attest to the disturbance.

Sec. 12-35 also separately prohibits unnecessary or unreasonably loud vehicle horns and signaling devices under subsection (a)(1). Violations feed into the same enforcement track as the rest of the noise article: an official warning under Sec. 12-36 followed by fines under the Code's general penalty section for continued noncompliance, with the property's owner, tenant, or manager held responsible for the source of the noise.